


Ghosts of Galaxies Past

by Garrulous_Gratuitous



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-07 04:20:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15900780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garrulous_Gratuitous/pseuds/Garrulous_Gratuitous
Summary: Sometimes the past is not gone.  Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.





	1. Thessa Mori

She almost missed it.  

 

A small oscillation hidden under the general din of the scourge.  She tried to clear it up, aligning the Tempest’s sensors in the direction of the weak signal.  She recalibrated the perimeters to filter out the natural celestial noise of Solminae. It worked, only so far as to confirm she wasn’t imagining things.

 

“SAM, can you identify this?”  she asked, even as she continued to manually enhance the signal.

 

“One moment, Ms. Anwar.”

 

Suvi rolled her eyes.  No matter how many times she had told SAM that such formality wasn’t necessary the AI seemed to miss the point.   _ Intelligence lacks depth without a soul. _

 

She returned to her own attempts to identify the signal.  There was something familiar about it...

 

“The transmission appears to be coming from a deep space asari research vessel.”

 

“Research vessel?” Suvi’s brow furrowed, “That’s odd.  Doctor Aridana never mentioned the Asari bringing their own ships.”

 

“That’s because they didn’t.  There is no record of such a vessel with either the asari or the Initiative.”

 

“That can’t be… SAM, are you sure?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Suvi keyed the ship’s interior com, “Pathfinder, you might want to come up here.”

 

A few moments later with a quiet hiss of the doors, Ryder trotted up behind her.  “What’s going on?”

 

“I found something,” she replied, routing the decoded audio through the overhead speakers.

 

_ This is the DSV Thessa Mori to any council race ships in the area.  We require immediate assistance. Repeat, this is the DSV Thessa Mori to any council race ships in the area- _

 

“It’s an automated distress call,” Suvi replied quietly, turning the audio loop off.

 

“From an asari ship?  What is it doing out here?”  Ryder wondered. “Did the asari even bring any ships?”

 

“No.  That’s why I called you.  There doesn’t seem to be any ship with that name registered in the asari historical records they brought with them.  Of course, some of the records were damaged when their ark hit the scourge. Cultural Director T’Saphra is currently working with Nexus engineers and the matriarchs to restore them.”

 

Ryder frowned in thought.  “SAM are we sure this is coming from a ship?”

 

“Yes, Pathfinder.  The transmission frequency matches that of equipment constructed by the asari in the Milky Way.”

 

“Did I hear that distress call right?”  Cora asked, joining them, “Is there another asari ship?”

 

“That’s what it sounds like,” Ryder replied.

 

“Then why are we still sitting here?” 

 

“Because there’s no record of a DSV  _ Thessa Mori  _ on record,” Suvi replied.

 

“ _ Thessa Mori _ ?” Cora repeated.  “That’s…what kind of name is that?”

 

“Now you know why we’re still sitting here,” the Pathfinder drolled.

 

There was a brief moment of silence before Cora spoke again.  “Well, no matter what the name is, the signal is still broadcasting which means whoever it is needs help.”

 

“Or it could be a trap.  Just a ship full of Kett or raiders,” Suvi offered.

 

“That’s true,” Ryder agreed.

 

“Since when has that stopped us?” Cora retorted.

 

“You have a point.  Kallo?”

 

“Coordinates already locked in, Pathfinder.”

 

“Good, set course.  I guess we’ll find out soon enough who needs help or… who is behind the next attempt on our lives.”

***

“That doesn’t look like an asari vessel.  That looks like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

 

The  _ Thessa Mori _ loomed before them on the display.  While the main body of the ship looked much like a turian cruiser.  The wings were not fixed but resembled the distinctly flared pivoting type of smaller asari vessels. 

 

“SAM what are we looking at?” Ryder asked.

 

“It appears to be a light cruiser of unknown and unique design combining elements of asari, turian and human vessel nomenclature.”

 

“Weird, who would build something like that?”

 

“Quarians?” Kallo offered.

 

Ryder rolled her eyes,  “That would be great if it was.  It would be the first lead we’ve had in who knows how long…  SAM, anyone alive in there?”

 

“Yes, Pathfinder but I am unable to get an exact reading due to interference from the ship’s operating system.”

 

Ryder contemplated the distinct yet sleek vessel for a few moments longer.

 

“Suvi, open a channel.”

 

“Channel open.”

 

“This is the ISS Tempest, we received your distress signal.  What’s your status?”

 

Silence.   Ryder glanced at Suvi, who lifted an eyebrow and dipped her head to the side as if to say:  _ try again? _

 

“This is the ISS Tempest, is there anyone there?”

 

Silence still.  She was opened her mouth a third time when:

 

“We read you, Tempest.”  The voice was feminine but subtly strong.  “This is the DSV  _ Thessa Mori _ who am I speaking to?”

 

“My name is Sara Ryder, Pathfinder for the Andromeda Initiative.  Who is-?”

 

“Sara Ryder?  I thought Alec Ryder was the Pathfinder.”

Ryder cringed inwardly.  Despite the time that had passed and despite the planets she had made viable - she still couldn’t escape her father’s shadow for some reason.

 

“Alec Ryder was my father.  He was killed shortly after Ark Hyperion arrived in Andromeda.”

 

There was a pause,  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you.”

 

“Then I am glad you are the one who found us, Pathfinder.  We picked up some transmissions that we were unable to identify.  I assume that the Initiative isn’t alone?”

 

“That would be correct-”   
  


“Friend or foe?”

 

“I’m sorry?”

 

“The indigenous species, are they friend or foe?”

 

Ryder sighed, “It’s complicated…”   
  


“I see,” the speaker paused.  Ryder was about to try and get a name from her when she continued:  “Well, I suppose there will be time get up to speed later. Right now, our ship has hit this- whatever this artificial energy is and it damaged our main drive core.  We only have maneuvering thrusters and minimal power systems.”

 

“We can tow you to Meridian,” she offered.

 

“Meridian?”  

 

“The new human home world.”

 

There was a pause, “How far is that?”

 

“A few days by FTL.”

 

“That won’t work.”

 

“Why?”

 

“The main reason?  One of my crew is severely wounded and needs medical treatment.  They have been in cryo but now with the power systems failing keeping them in cryo is no longer an option.  We only have enough power to keep the cryo pod operational for another standard day, tops. After that, we better be near a medical facility able to handle combat trauma.”

 

“The Tempest has a fully operational medical bay and probably on of the best doctors in Heleus onboard,” Ryder replied, wondering how  _ exactly _ one of the  _ Mori’s  _ crew managed to suffer combat trauma.

 

There was a sigh, Sara couldn’t tell what kind.  “That will have to do.”

 

“Don’t worry, Doctor T’Perro is one of the best.  She’s a specialist in alien physiology, she knows what she is doing.” 

 

“T’Per-” Another voice piped up in the background before the comm was muted.  A minute passed before the speaker returned.

 

“Very well, we appreciate any help you can give us.  However, I do have one more favor to ask of you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Wherever you plan on towing us to could you make it somewhere … isolated?”

 

“Isolated? Why? Are you sick?”  Ryder asked, remembering Ruth Bekker.

 

“No, no.  Nothing like that.  It’s a long story. The short version is: I would rather not have to deal with the Initiative and the inevitable questions they will have for us, at the moment.  In fact, if you could keep your discovery of us out of your reports and logs for now until my crew is back on their feet- I would greatly appreciate it.”

 

Ryder and Suvi exchanged another glance.  Sara valued Suvi’s intuition. The scottish scientist had a sixth sense to her that couldn’t be ignored.  Suvi nodded once.

 

“No worries, we’ll keep it quiet but  _ I _ would like an explanation when we land,  if that’s alright with you.”

 

“That’s fair, Pathfinder.  _ Mori  _ out.”

 

***

  
  



	2. A Plague of Doctors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at this - two chapters in three days... it's a regular creative rainstorm. Enjoy the metaphorical weather ;)
> 
>  
> 
> ***

     A warm blast of air hit them as soon as the cargo door lowered.

     “Well, at least it doesn’t smell like rotten eggs anymore,” Peebee remarked.  “What did that take? A year?”

     “Something like that…” Ryder replied.  “Still smells like ozone, though.”

     “You sure that isn’t their ship?” Cora asked, watching as the _Thessa Mori_ slowly descended towards the southern platform of the Sulfur Springs port hub. “The scourge did a number on their aft-starboard side.”

     “Yeah, I’m sure.  It always smelled like it.  Just the stench of the sulfur always overpowered it.”

     Cora glanced at her bemusedly, “SAM also give you super smelling powers?”

     “Nah, she’s just part dog.  That’s why she’s always bitching that we don’t listen to her,” Peebee quipped.

     Cora barely contained a snort of laughter.  Ryder rolled her eyes, ignoring the comment as the _Mori_ finished its landing.

     “Okay, I don’t expect that they’ll give us trouble but just to be safe- Cora, why don’t you you go up to the first level and setup an overwatch for us.”

     “You got it,” the commando replied, trotting off and disappearing into the lower berthing of the bi-level complex.

     Peebee and Ryder followed shortly behind, heading up the stairs from the eastern landing pad and making their way to the top of the southern.  

     “I’m kind of excited,” Peebee commented.  “I’ve never seen a ship like that. I mean, they are obviously from the Milky Way but _where_ or better yet _when_?”

     “ _When?_ What do you mean ‘ _when’_?” Ryder asked.

     “Well, they obviously didn’t leave with us and their ship isn’t anything that we’ve seen.  So, they must have left after us - or - maybe even _before_ us.  It would really depend on what they have under the hood-”

     Peebee cut off when a side door on the _Mori_ slid open and a ramp extended to the landing pad.  A human woman stepped out and carefully made her way down the incline, leading an anti-gravity sled carrying a sleek black pod.

     The dark haired woman was stunning to say the least.  Her clothing was form fitting and what a form it was! Peebee let out a low whistle.

     “Speaking of hoods, I’d like to get under hers…” Ryder’s elbow found the asari’s ribs on instinct. “Ow! What was that for?”

     “Manners, Peebee.  You’ve been hanging around Kadara Port too long.”

     “More like I’ve been hanging around the Tempest too long.  Running around Heleus with you looking for a bunch of Quarians in sourge infested haystack isn’t exactly helping my love life.”

     Ryder flinched.  Ever since she had helped Peebee blow off some steam in a zero G escape pod, the asari had just blown her off.  She still hadn’t figured out what went wrong exactly and the worst part was: Ryder still liked her and hadn’t figured out how or even _if_ she should tell her.  However, after that comment, the debate seemed trivial. “C’mon, let’s go meet Heleus’ newest residents.”

     The woman stopped when she reached the bottom and as she pulled up her omni-tool and tapped a few keys an equally attractive asari, fashionably buckled into her clothing, stepped out from the ship joining her.

     “Wow, quite the party.  Nice ship, hot babes, why did I leave the Milky Way again?”  Peebee’s voice was low.

     “You were bored.”

     “Oh yeah, I remember.  Well, not much has changed now, has it?”

     Ryder made a frustrated noise, shaking her head.  On second thought, maybe she had dodged a bullet with the easily disinterested maiden.

     “Welcome to Kadara, I’m Ryder, Initiative Pathfinder and you are?”  

     The woman lowered her arm and looked up, cool blue eyes catching hers, “Doctor Miranda Lawson.”

     “Doctor?” Ryder was confused for a moment. “I thought someone needed medical attention.”

     “Someone does, but I don’t have the equipment aboard the ship,” Lawson explained gesturing towards the anti-gravity sled.  “While I would love to sit here and chat, this cryo unit is running on backup power and we need to revive her before the battery dies.  So, unless it is more important than saving a life, can we dispense with the pleasantries and save the banal questions for later?”

     Ryder was taken aback.  The woman obviously wasn’t the one she had spoken with and was, apparently, not one to be trifled with. She glanced at Peebee who was trying, unsuccessfully, to keep the surprise she shared with Ryder off her face. Lawson’s asari companion looked down right amused by the exchange.

     “Uh, sure.  Right this way,” she gestured and then stepped back, allowing Peebee to take the lead.  She waited until they were a few steps ahead before following.

     “SAM?”

     “Neither one of them has weapons,” the AI responded, knowing exactly what she was about to ask.  “Also, the lifesigns within the cryo stasis unit are human but unstable. The doctor was not lying.”

     “Okay, well, that might explain the bitchiness.”

     “Perhaps. However, Doctor Lawson is a biotic but her implants seem to be malfunctioning.”

     “Malfunctioning?”

     “Yes. It would seem they were exposed to an energy surge that destroyed the synthetic components of the implants.  She is probably in a significant amount neurological pain.”

     Ryder’s ruffled reaction at being brushed off changed to one of sympathy.  “Damn...what could have caused it?”

     “Unknown.”

     “Can something be done?”

     “Yes. All of her implants would need to be replaced.”

     “Shit! Do we even have any?”

     “Meridian does or they can be developed on the Tempest.”

     “Something tells me they won’t want to go to Meridian anytime soon.  Might as well get to work on those implants. Cora?”

     “ _Yeah?_ ” Cora responded over comms.

     “Keep an eye out for anyone else coming off that ship. Either greet them or shoot them.  It’s your call.”

     Cora chuckled, “ _Will do_.”

***

     Nearly every step she took sent searing hot needles up her legs, along her spine and down into her arms.  Miranda opened her omni-tool again and hit herself with another dose of medi-gel. It was her fourth since waking up that morning.  She could almost hear Oriana: _Can’t keep going this way, Randa._

     She shook her head, Oriana was well and gone now.  According to Quinn it had been six hundred years since they left the Milky Way.  If she was lucky: Oriana’s great, great, great grandchildren were alive somewhere.  Miranda pushed it from her mind. No sense in thinking about it, there were more pressing issues, like the whole reason she had come to Andromeda.  She absently rested her hand on the stasis pod as the asari who greeted them with the Pathfinder led them aboard the Tempest. It was an impressive ship.

     “Nice ship,” Aria gave words to Miranda’s thoughts.  “I wonder if I can get one like it.”

     “Good luck,” the young asari replied.  “All the other pathfinder vessels were destroyed when the Nexus hit the scourge.”

     “Scourge?” Aria repeated.

     “Yeah, that fantastical, orphical web of artificial energy ya’ll flew into when you arrived.  It’s all over the Heleus system, it’s a _scourge_ here. Hence the kitschy but appropriate name. Not a lot of originality. You’ll find most of the names given to things were based initial impressions. Apparently, they thought us all stupid and didn’t want to confuse us with creativity in Andromeda.”

     “Noted,” Aria intoned.

     After heading up another ramp, the asari led them through a set of sliding doors, around an ops table, arriving at the medical bay.

     “Annnd, here we are.  You can go in, I think Lexi is expecting you.”

     “You ‘ _think’_?” Miranda repeated.

     “Hey! I didn’t talk with her.  I’m sure Ryder probably mentioned something.  I don’t go in there unless I have to.”

     “That could be arranged,” Aria replied casually, her biotics rippling over her body.  The subtle show of power wasn’t lost on the young asari.

     “On second thought, I’m sure she won’t try and stab me with a needle while there is an actual patient in the room,” she amended quickly and headed inside.

     Miranda looked at Aria, whose eyes were drilling a hole in the back of their escort’s head.  “I hate other asari’s _children_ ,” she ground out.

     She couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth, “Agreed.”

     The former pirate queen glanced sideways briefly.  “If you don’t mind, I’ll stay out here. Let you and the doctor work.  You shout if you need anything.”

     Miranda nodded.  She could sense there was something more to the situation than Aria was letting on but decided it wasn’t time or the place to press the matter.  She tapped the forward button on the sled and steered it the final few feet into the med bay, doors closing behind her.

***

      She was surprised to see their escort talking to another yet another asari. _Did they take over this galaxy too?_  They both looked up when she entered.  The consternation on her face must have been evident because the doctor stepped forward quickly.

     “My name is Dr. Lexi T’Perro, expert specialist in alien physiology and you are?”  Her voice was practiced, soothing and steady. The younger asari slipped out the minute the doctor turned her attention away.

     “Doctor Miranda Lawson, neural biotic and regenerative specialist.”

     “That’s an impressive and difficult field,” T’Perro remarked.

     “You have no idea.”

     “Who’s the patient?” She asked nodding towards the cryo pod.

     “Thirty-three year old human female.  Biotic. Suffered extensive burns to her upper torso from a energy blast along with several bullet wounds to the upper left arm and shoulder.  Her implants have been fried by an energy wave that destroyed all synthetic components,” she flinched in pain as her own malfunctioning implants flared up despite the recent dose of medigel, “Damn it.”

     T’Perro noticed and was scanning her before Miranda could protest.

     “It would seem she isn’t the only one.  How are you still on your feet?”

     “A higher pain threshold courtesy of superior genetic engineering coupled with timed intervals of medigel microdosing,” she stated matter of factly even though she was starting to see stars in the corners of her vision.

     “Again, very impressive, Dr. Lawson.  But I shouldn’t have to tell you that just because you are on your feet doesn’t mean you should be.”

     “And I shouldn’t have to tell you that doctors make the worst patients,” she joked in all seriousness.

     “Point taken.  What can I do to get you to lie down?” Lexi asked gently.

     “Help me save Shepard.”

***

      Leaning against the bulkhead, Aria looked over as the med bay doors slid open.  The young pup of an asari barely glanced at her as she booked it from the med bay towards a ladder at the end of the p-way.  Aria shook her head and sighed. She wondered whose brilliant idea it was to bring a kid barely out of diapers on an intergalactic exploration mission.   _Probably the humans._  She idly wondered how much the whelp had fudged her credentials to get accepted into the program.

     “ _Aria, did you and Miranda get Shepard aboard?”_

     “Yes.  The good doctor is in with the doctor… doctor. Ugh, I’m surrounded.  It’s like a plague.”

     “ _A plague of doctors?”_

     “Plague, infestation,” She waved her hand in the air, “A murder, a damned herd- whatever a group of you would be called.”

      Liara laughed briefly.  Aria hadn’t ever heard her laugh, she found a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth before she mentally slapped herself out of it.

     “ _I’m sorry the company isn’t up to your standards.”_  

     “Apology accepted, Shadow Broker.”

     “ _Touché._ ” She paused, “ _Any word on the prognosis?”_

     “I have no idea.  I didn’t feel like going in, getting in the way and _distracting_ Dr. T’Perro.”

     “ _Distracting?”_

     “It’s a long story.  Both her mother and father worked for me at Omega.  They wanted to send her to medical school, give her the life neither one of them could afford to give her.  So, I funded about 75% of her education, on the condition that she return to Omega and work for me as well. As you can probably guess, medical doctors are… _were_ , in short supply on Omega.  I even paid extra for her speciality training in alien physiology and biology.”

     “ _Makes sense given the diversity of Omega’s population.”_

     “Of course, it does.  One doesn’t become the most successful pirate and smuggler in the galaxy by being an idiot,” she snapped defensively.  She took a deep breath to calm down. “Unfortunately, before she finished her residency on the Citadel, a turf war started by some batarians hopped up on red sand, tumbled out into the street one day and both of her parents were killed.  When she heard the news, she never came back.”

     “ _You didn’t try and force her?”_

     “Force her?  Why in the world would I do that? I wanted a doctor that would practice medicine _willingly_ , not one kept as a prisoner in a place too painful to bare.  Seems to me that having your doctor hate you is a good way to get bad medicine.”

     “ _Does she hate you?_ ”

     Aria sighed, “I don’t know. I’m sure she probably blames me on some level for her parents death.  If it’s any comfort to her- I had the batarians that killed them flayed before they were drawn and quartered by a pack of half starved vorcha.”

     There was a brief silence, “ _I suppose that’s a cold comfort.  Maybe if you left out the part about the flaying, the drawing and quartering and the half starved vorcha…”_

     “Why?” Aria asked, her voice serious but her eyes dancing.

     Liara sighed, “ _Nevermind, I’ll be over just as soon as I finish the system lockdown.  Tali says she won’t be able to make any repairs until she finds parts and materials.  I just hope there is a black market around somewhere. I don’t want to deal with the Initiative.”_

     “Well, my dear Doctor T’Soni, black markets and shady underbellies are _my_ speciality.  Wherever there is civilization on the surface, the uncivilized is just below.  Give me some time and I’m sure I can find what she needs.”

_“I appreciate it. I’ve got enough to deal with at the moment.”_

     “You're welcome and don’t worry your pretty little crests about it,” Aria reassured her again, genuinely thrilled at the prospect of getting her hands dirty, or bloody, or both.

     “ _You’re excited, aren’t you?”_ Liara confronted her.  

     Aria chuckled, “I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”

     Liara groaned, “ _Oh, goddess._ ”

***


	3. Of Orphaned Children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised at the extent of my inspiration. I must be super lonely. Enjoy the fruits of my misery :)
> 
> ***

     “I swear to kee’lah, I’m going to shoot you!  You stupid bosh’tet!” Tali’s voice echoed up from the drive core.  Liara ignored the cursing quarian as Tali had been doing as such since they had hit the artificial dark energy causing the 2nd gen ODSY drive core to malfunction.  She heard the cycling of a thermal clip, _Goddess!_  

     Liara took off running down the p-way that connected the QuINN node to engineering.   Arriving just in time to see Tali taking aim at the nearly cold drive core.

     “What are you doing?!”

     “Putting it out of its misery,” she said matter of factly.  “My people have been doing this for centuries. If a machine won’t cooperate, shoot it until it does.”

     “Tali,” Liara admonished her gently.   The quarian turned her head slightly towards her, weapon still trained on the the reinforced containment casing that housed the drive core.  “You realize the casing is made up of chromium and diamonds, correct? Shooting it won’t actually help.”

     Tali’zorah sighed and finally lowered her weapon.  “Yes, but it would make me feel better.”

     Liara smiled, “You’ve hung around Shepard too long if shooting things has become therapeutic.”    

     “It’s a good possibility,” Tali returned her weapon to its place.  “I’m sorry, Liara. It’s just this ship-I know it was made by Quarians but the technology is so _new_.”

     “Huh, well, new to us.  Technically, it’s six hundred years old,” Liara replied.

     “And there’s that...Kee’lah, I’m still trying to wrap my head around being six hundred and twenty five years old!”

     Liara laughed, “Strangely, I’ve heard that a few times.  Although, I’ll admit this the first I’ve heard it from a quarian.  First time for everything, I suppose.”

     Tali sighed, “I guess it’s just as strange for you.”

     “It is.  I figured when by the time I was seven hundred and ten, I would have a few daughters, perhaps even a granddaughter or two.  I certainly didn’t expect to be feeling so _spry_.”

     “I think you would make a good mother,” Tali replied, “There’s obviously still time. You still have another nine hundred years or so to get busy making babies.”  Liara blushed and looked down at the deck. Tali, thankfully, changed the subject, “I suppose I’ll let this go for now.  I can’t do anything with it at the moment without parts and supplies. I need to read up on the schematics and informational manuals the engineers left behind.”

     “QuINN should have everything you need,” Liara replied, quickly regaining her composure.

     “Doctor T’Soni is correct.  The engineers logged a complete record of construction and maintenance operations with me.  I can download any information you require to your omni-tool,” the ship’s quantum intelligence nascent network piped up.

     “I know how run a search you stupid bosh-”

     “-Thank you, QuINN.” Liara cut her off.

     Tali looked at Liara, “I still don’t like _it..._  Why does it sound like EDI?”

     “Because EDI copied her programming to get QuINN up and running.  If she hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t be here.”

     “It’s still odd, knowing that EDI and...” Tali trailed off, unable to finish.

     “I know,” Liara tamped down her own feelings of loss for the long departed crew of the Normandy.  “But look at it this way: QuINN is the closest thing to a ‘child’ EDI was ever going to have.”

     “I-” Tali started, stopped and then sighed, “Kee’lah, we live in strange days.”

***

     Liara returned to the QuINN node and resumed her work: tapping into planetary communications and passing interplanetary comms.  She found several local networks to hack for information and set about covertly running through the Tempest’s systems, disguising the scan as ELF radiation emissions caused by damaged drive core.  The qubits of QuINN’s processor easily mimicking naturally occurring electrons, photons, ions or even atomic states.

     She had even picked up on transmissions and scans between Ryder and SAM, although for the moment, Liara was content to have QuINN keep a log on them instead of actively investigating.  However, the amount of information was apparently going to be staggering considering that SAM was constantly receiving input from Ryder’s very existence.

 _She’s a walking, talking sensor array.  A flesh and blood body for an independent AI._  It reminded of when EDI took over Dr. Eva’s synthetic body.  A shiver ran up her spine at the implications of what a rogue SAM might do.

     “Dr. T’Soni,” Liara jumped when QuINN spoke.

     “Yes, QuINN?” She replied trying to get her heart rate back below thudding.

     “I have finished the scans of the terraforming network of this planet.”

     “Terra- wait, what?”

     “This planet is undergoing terraforming,” QuINN reported.  Liara sighed and rubbed her temple lightly. There was so much going on that discovering Kadara was being terraformed, while interesting, was not something she wanted to look into, “Very well.  Log the information for me and flag it. I’ll get to it when I can.’

     “As you wish, Doctor T’Soni.”  QuINN replied but then paused, “There is one other thing.”

     “Yes?”

     “Earlier when you spoke with Engineer Tali’zorah, you brought up an AI named EDI whose programming you borrowed to complete mine.”

     Liara raised a brow, “Go on.”

     “Is it possible that my programming is upsetting her?”

     She took a deep breath, “I… don’t know.  I don’t think so. It’s not your programming.  It’s your vocal patterns. It reminds us...her, of EDI.  We were all very fond of EDI.”

     “EDI was partial to the crew of the Normandy as well.  Especially one called Jeff Monroe. She included files on every member of the Normandy’s crew in my programming.  Given Engineer Tali’Zorah’s response to me, would you recommend I keep or delete those files?”

     Liara stopped in mid-keystroke, “I-”  The question was innocent enough but the emotional complexity of it was far too much for her,  “I-I don’t know…”

     Her mind raced with the implications of both actions, finally she said: “Keep them but I would recommend you don’t tell the others about them.  Use them as you see fit.”

     “Understood.  Thank you, Doctor T’Soni.”

     As QuINN fell silent, an equally silent tear fell to the deck.

***

     “I don’t like it.  It’s borderline cruelty.  The pain itself could cause cardiac arrest,” Lexi protested.

     “If we don’t do anything she dies anyway,” Miranda replied evenly, her own pain forgotten for a moment thanks to an asari painkiller that affected the peripheral nervous system.

     Lexi sighed, “You know as well as I do how extremely fragile the human body is.  She’s already suffered extensive trauma, look at her!”

     “I know” she replied not willing to look down at the Shep’s nearly broken body, hooked up to life support.

     She and Lexi had worked quickly after removing her from the stasis pod to debraid the burns across her torso and remove the reaper bullets and shrapnel still lodged in her body before the deep cryogenic sedation began to wear off.  Dr. T’Perro had barely finished covering the burns with bio-synthetic skin and fastening it down with antimicrobial silver nanoparticle mesh when Shepard’s vitals signs started to spike into the red zone. A mild sedative was the only thing that had stopped the Commander from coding.   However, anything heavier could cause complete cardio and respiratory failure due in part to the matter that Shepard’s tortured body had been in cryogenic stasis for the past six centuries. The fact they were even able to revive her at all bordered on miraculous.

     “Then you also know that operating on deep implants attached to her central nervous system with only local anesthetic borders on medical malfeasance,” Lexi insisted.

     “I know what it sounds like Dr. T’Perro but I also brought Shepard back from the dead, the _first_ time.   _I_ put her back together. _I_ know _how_ I did it and _I_ know _how_ her body works.  Those deep implants are barely functional, if they give out - her heart stops, her lungs stop, Shepard stops - I’m not going to let that happen.”

     Lexi held Miranda’s gaze for a moment before looking down at Commander Shepard.  She had heard so much about the first human spectre. Tales of heroism on Akuze. Risking her life and the entire human fleet to save the council.  She had even heard the rumors that Shepard had survived the destruction of her own ship - apparently, she hadn’t - Dr. Lawson had simply managed the impossible.  Even now, the human fought on - jerking eye movement behind closed lids betraying the struggle. Absently, she laid her hand over Shepard’s, fingers curling around to the palm.  In a surprising reflex, Shepard tightened down on them.  It was a good sign.

     She sighed in resignation, “Okay.  But this has to be quick and we have to do something to help her pain.”

     Miranda furrowed her brow, “Agreed, but we can’t use anything that would deadened the CNS.”

     “Well, lucky for both of you, the asari matriarchs still teach _kena il’saen nau sa’i a’tean_.”

     “Er, I’m a little rusty on my High Thessian.”

     Lexi smiled, “You get points for not calling it ‘Asarian’.  It translates to: _the heart of all healing is begins in the mind._  It’s an antiquated medical practice that teaches… I believe Harry once called it:  ‘mind over matter’. While actual results vary from one asari to the next it has been proven effective in pain mitigation.”

     “How does it work?”

     “Ideally?  An experienced specialist who has dedicated several decades if not centuries to perfecting a medical meld would be able to meld with Shepard and carefully separate her consciousness from registering her physical state while the operation was performed.  Not only would the _dom a’teean_  keep Shepard from recognizing her pain, she would also be able to keep the Commander’s body from involuntary movement during the procedure.”

      Lawson looked impressed but then said: “I take it there isn't a  _dom a’teean_ nearby.”

      “Not that I know of,” Lexi admitted.

      “Can you do it?”

      “Perhaps, but then who would assist you during the surgery?”

      “Good point,” Miranda conceited.  “So, what are the options, if not you?”

      “Another asari, we could ask Peebee.  Although…” Lexi trailed off wondering if that would be a wise choice.  Peebee was young and probably not as experienced initiating a meld, let alone maintaining one through the peripheral pain of the other party.

      “Who’s Peebee?” Miranda asked.

      “She’s the one who brought you here-”

      “Out of the question,” Lawson stated firmly.  “I’m not all that familiar with asari melding but I’m a good judge of character and that one lacks conviction.  I doubt she would be able to even if she was willing.”

      T’Perro was impressed by Miranda’s incredibly accurate assessment of Peebee.  She was starting to like her, “I won’t argue that.”

     “We can ask either Liara or Aria.”

     “Did you say Aria?”

     Miranda nodded, “Aria T’Loak.”

     “She’s here?” Lexi managed.

     “Yeah, she helped me bring Shepard over.  Why? Is there a problem?”

     The doctor shook her head, “No.  No problem. It’s just… I didn’t think I would ever hear that name again, let alone travel hundred of thousands of light years from Omega only to run into her again,”  Lexi leaned heavily against the side of Shepard’s bed.

     “I take it you two have history?” Miranda asked crossing her arms over her chest.

     “Nothing like that,” Lexi replied quietly, “It’s… it’s a long story.  But, yes, I suppose Aria could do it. She’s in her matron stage. Matrons tend to have more _endurance_ than maidens when it comes to melding.  That’s if she would even consent to helping-” Even as the doctor spoke the medical bay doors opened and Aria entered along with another asari, “Speak of the devil-”

     “‘-And the devil shall appear’.  I have to admit that’s one of my favorite human colloquialisms,” Aria replied, her tone ever casually nonplussed.

     Lexi let out a low, almost inaudible huff of disdain.  Miranda quickly picked up the slack before the silence became awkward.  “Well, since you two obviously already know each other. Dr. T’Perro, allow me to introduce you to the non-devil in the room, Doctor Liara T’Soni.”

     “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. T’Perro.  Thank you for attending to Commander Shepard,” was Liara’s polite, even response.  A brief wave of relief flashed over Lexi’s features.

     “Likewise, Doctor T’Soni.  I read a few of your papers in the Serrice Scientific Quarterly.  Your dissertations on the Protheans were fascinating and incredibly insightful.”

      Liara gave a terse laugh, “Well, you wouldn’t say that if you had met the actual prothean Commander Shepard revived.”

      Lexi’s mouth dropped open, “She, what?”

     “Can it wait?” Miranda interjected.  

     “Oh! Yes, of course,” Lexi quickly recovered herself.  “I’m glad you’re both here. There is something important we have to discuss…”

***

      She watched as Dr. T’Perro used her biotics gently lift and turn Shepard’s limp, half-naked body over in preparation for what should normally have been a moderately difficult surgery; except now it was exacerbated by complications caused by centuries old trauma and cryogenics.  For the hundredth time she wondered if she had done the right thing.

      Her decision had been based on secret preliminary plans drawn up by each council race on contingency that they survived the Reaper invasion.  And when the galaxy _had_ survived what few pieces of information she could gather from the Shadow Broker’s remaining agents suggested the surviving governments had indeed begun to enact their plans.  Plans to capitalize on the chaos. Plans to expand their own holdings. Plans to destroy old enemies. Plans to create their own empires. And once again, Shepard had been a lynchpin in many of those plans.

      Once Shepard was on her stomach, Lawson shaved the already singed short hair off the base of her skull before disinfecting from that area, down the length of Shepard’s spine, ending at the top of the Commander’s still muscular buttocks.  Liara’s eyes landed there. Her mind brought her back to the few months they had together on the first Normandy. The nights and sometimes mornings they spent exploring each other, enjoying each other’s company…

     “Even half dead, it’s hard not to admire Shepard’s _ass_ ets,” Aria’s low voice interrupted her brief reminiscence.  “Are you sure _you_ don’t want to meld with Shepard?  I thought there was some chemistry between you two…”  

      Liara took a deep breath, “Yes.  I- we… we did once. We were starting to reconnect but then…” She sighed,  “I don’t think melding with Shepard after- well, after the way things were left and given the state she is in, it probably wouldn’t be in her best interest.”   _ **Either** of our best interests. _

     She almost felt naked under Aria’s scrutinizing gaze. She had to admit, the pirate did have a way of unsettling a person.

     “Besides,” Liara quickly deflected, “Can you create and maintain a stasis field?”

     Aria snorted, “I have no use for defensive biotics.”

     She glanced sideways, “I guess that settles it then.”

     The corners of Aria’s mouth curled into an unreadable smile, “I guess so.”

     "Are you two ready?" Miranda asked.

     Liara nodded. Biotic energy curled over her body, prepping a stasis field, even as she prayed:  _Goddess, help us._

    ***


	4. Bedside Manner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess this chapter will make this fic rated M. And also - these notes are also rated M:
> 
> ***
> 
> I noticed after several play throughs of ME and also ME:A that the asari tend to be on top. And so I wondered if that is just a Bioware fetish or if there was an anatomical reason for that... so I went looking (I'm really a curious individual that has many questions and then obsesses until I find answers) and I found an answer - well, as close to an answer as one will get.
> 
> From what I can deduce: Asari anatomy is 'reversed' of human female anatomy and also there is the azure that is mentioned in ME2 to which Liara vaguely states is "in the lower parts closer to the bottom". Okay? So then I went looking for something more substantial like a picture and guess what? Bioware was kind enough to give an anatomical view of an asari... in banshee form. 
> 
> ((( Here is the link... note the link is pretty.. uh, explicit: https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3zo9qizz11qahmako1_1280.jpg ))
> 
> So, after examination and debate with another female gamer, it seems that it goes: birth canal (vaginal opening) then there is another, rounder hooded area/ hole which I am assuming is the azure. However, based on the properties of the structure it looks like something would come from there: I'm assuming an elongated, clitoris like appendage that can swell and distend etc. 
> 
> Which, when you think about what Liara said and then you notice that the Asari as always on top (Liara/ Fem Shep), grinding and thrusting (thank you Peebee/Ryder cutscene) or like when Fem. Shep's leg is over Liara's (or conversely, Ryder's over Peebee's) this would explain it. It would also explain why some Asari prefer masculine pronouns and why Liara says that she "isn't exactly a woman" (ME1). And I guess, if you think about it, having reversed anatomy would be really conducive to a mutual pleasurable experience both asari/asari but especially asari/human females or asari and pretty much every other race. See? It all makes sense now...
> 
> I have entirely too much free time and I should really see about finding someone to 'meld' with.. hahaha.
> 
> ***

     “The cerebral angiogram, electroencephalogram and invoked potentials all came back normal.  A neurological examination also showed a normal, albeit, a bit slowed response-”  Aria involuntarily jerked from the sudden contrast of cool gel on warm skin as Dr. T’Perro placed telemetry sensor on an exposed patch of epidermis on her left infrascapular region.  The smuggler glared at the doctor as she placed a second one her upper left pectoral. She ignored the look and continued:

     “Since there doesn’t seem to be any brain damage, I don’t suspect that you should have any trouble initiating the meld.   _However_ , the commander’s heart rate, respiratory and adrenal responses are all heightened which indicate she could be in quite a bit of pain.  So be prepared for that possibility when you attune your nervous system to hers. I’ll be monitoring your vitals during the meld as well as Shepard’s.  If you want, I can administer you a painkiller to help mitigate the stress on your nervous system.”

     “No.”

     “But-”

     “I said _no_.  I’ve never used drugs during a meld and I don’t plan on starting now,” Aria replied.

     T’Perro didn’t seem surprised at the admission, “That’s admirable given your past history but this isn’t some street drug from Omega.  Even if the commander isn’t in discomfort now, she will be when Dr. Lawson begins operating. The pain could potentially cause you to break the union.”

     She looked at the younger asari, “I assure you, Doctor, pain doesn’t bother me.  And if the other party is in pain? Well, that is definitely **_not_** an issue.”

     The silence in the med bay was only broken by an oscillating tone from medical equipment.  She rolled her eyes, “Oh, don’t act surprised. Are you done? Can we start?”

     At a loss for words, Lexi just nodded and gestured towards a chair that had been placed at head of the table.  Aria muttered a ‘ _finally_ ’ before taking a seat, placing her hands on either side of Shepard’s face-down head.   She focused, her pupils dilated and she plunged into darkness.

***

     Aria looked around.  She was in a cavernous room, somewhere at the center of the Citadel.  A column of energy was surging and churning upward past large, strut like power couplings into what she recognized to be the Crucible, “Where in the hell am I?”

     “You know I’ve asked myself that same question a few times,” Shepard spoke.  Aria spun on her heel and saw the Commander standing, facing the displays that deceptively looked like windows.  Derelict ships drifted aimlessly through space. Earth, now dark, loomed above them. “I figure I must be dead.  I destroyed the Reapers… or, at least, I think I did. There was an explosion and I woke up here, but here isn’t how I left it.  So, here can’t be here... and I can’t escape this room, or the pain.”

     Shepard turned around. She looked as she had the last time the pirate queen had seen her before the final battle for Earth, except she was still in her battered N7 armor.  The commander smiled a cold smile, “But- you’re the first person I’ve seen in I don’t know how long. So, I can’t be dead. Unless somehow I ended up in Asari hell.”

     Aria gave a terse laugh, “Asari hell- really?  Is that what you think? Why, because I’m here?”  Shepard shrugged.  A small smile landed on the corners of Aria’s lips, “What’s not to say you aren’t in asari heaven?”

    “Because, one, I’m still stuck in this damn room.  Two, I can still feel the pain and three… well, you’re **_you._** ”

    “That’s what I like about you Shep.  You were always honest even if it was brutal and unpopular,” Aria spoke as she sauntered towards her.

    “Thanks… I think,” She replied as the asari stopped in front of her,  “So, how about you return the favor and tell me what’s going on.”

    Aria looked around again, she couldn’t get over the sheer magnitude of the room, not to mention the eerie silence of the place.  She could feel an echo of thrumming pain below her own skin, she knew it was the Commander's but it abided as part of Shepard’s existence.  The cryogenics had kept her alive and perfectly preserved in a state of affliction for centuries.   _**She must have grown used to it.** _

    The pirate queen heaved a deep breath, “I would be more than happy to tell you what’s going on but that is an incredibly long story-”

    “I’ve been here for what feels like years- indulge me,” Shepard deadpanned.

    “Well, that’s just the thing- we don’t have time for that right now.”

     The Commander frowned,  “Why not?”

     “Because your dear Dr. Lawson is about to cut into your spinal column,” Aria replied.

     “She’s about to do _what_?!” Shep’s eyes went wide.

      Aria continued, “Which means that this pain that you’ve grown accustomed to is about to get significantly worse.”

     “Wait a sec-”

     “-Which brings us to why I’m here.  I’m here to help you through this small little surgery, so that Lawson can finally wake you up after six hundred years.”

     “Six hundred…” Shep looked lost for a brief moment right before she gasped in pain and reached a hand towards her back.  Aria felt the same burning torment along her own spine too but to a far lesser extent. She closed her eyes and accepted the sensation as her own conditioned response kicked in, endorphins flooding her body.

     Stepping forward she took Shepard’s face between her hands and forced the human to look at her as she readied to push her consciousness over Shepard’s, “I need you to focus, Commander.”

     The woman swallowed hard and managed to nod, her eyes had begun to water from the agony overtaking her body.   Aria, for the most part, felt bad for Shepard. But another part of her was incredibly turned on by it all: the pain, the tears, the trembling and the knowledge that she could either let the human wallow in torment or take it all away.

     “I can help you Shepard,” she said, her voice soothing, “All you have to do is ask…”

     Despite her obvious agony, the Commander remained silent - almost defiant.  She wondered for a moment, if Shepard was doing it on purpose. Of course, Aria had agreed to help and would- eventually.  But she couldn’t resist the chance to hear the ‘Savior of the Galaxy’ beg her.  Another wave of pain rolled over them both.  Aria’s body translating it into arousal, Shepard’s into agony.

     “C’mon Shepard, just say the one word you know I want to hear,” she cajoled.

      The Commander’s chest was heaving, blue eyes vacillating between torment and indignation.  Finally, through clenched teeth, she managed: “Please.”

      Aria’s arousal soared.  She kissed Shepard hard, simultaneously swapping  Shepard’s sensory responses with her own. She felt a shift, a change in memory and position and then felt Shepard’s naked body under her own.   The Commander’s hands tracing over the skin of her back, headed towards an incredibly erogenous zone. Aria growled in appreciation before breaking away from the kiss and moving to down to Shep’s neck- licking and nipping at the pulse point.  Shepard rolled her hips, pushing a well muscled thigh upwards, pressing against Aria’s azure causing the asari to gasp in pleasure as she began to harden against Shep’s leg.

     “I’ll give you credit,” she murmured against the Commander’s neck before straightening up, her hands tracing over beautifully defined upper pectoral muscles before finding equally as lovely breasts, cupping them and rolling taut nipples between her fingers, “At least you don’t bother with pointless foreplay.”

     “You mean the kiss on Omega and you making me beg just now wasn’t foreplay?” she countered, hands going to Aria’s hips to steady her as the Commander let her own legs fall open to allow the pirate access.  The words and movement had the desired effect as she felt the asari’s azure distend from beneath its hood and slide against her sex.

     “Fuck you, Shepard.”  Aria growled, dropping her hips, before thrusting in and up.

***

     An alert sounded from the monitoring equipment.  

     “What’s that?” Lawson asked unable to take her eyes off of the second deep implant site, continuing to work through the bleeping of the machine.  Glancing over, Lexi’s eyes went wide for a moment before keying off the alert.

     “Nothing,” she replied, trying to sound casual.

     “It didn’t sound like _nothing_ ,” Miranda replied, closing the second site and moving towards the third.

     “Oh, it was nothing.  Just a spike in respiration, serotonin and oxytocin,” she muttered the last three words so only Lawson could hear.

     Miranda stopped and started at her fellow, “What? From who?”

     “Like I said - it’s nothing.  I’m sure T’Loak has everything under control.   Although, you might want to hurry with that last one just for propriety’s sake,” she replied nervously, noticing a slight tremor in Aria’s body.

     “ _Fucking_ unbelievable,” Miranda muttered, glaring at the amaurotic asari before returning her attention to the final task at hand.

***


	5. Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much in way of notes, this post is mainly to advance the plot (which technically should be all posts) but this is more about catching the characters up to speed (without redundantly mentioning the plot of both stories - we all played the games, we know what happens.)

      Liara was exhausted by the time Dr. T’Perro had indicated that Shepard no longer needed to be held in a stasis field.  Both Miranda and the Tempest’ doctor had summarily dismissed her from the medical bay when her biotic ability was no longer needed, citing unspecified medical reasons.   She had glanced at Aria, who was still in a meld with Shepard and had wondered about a nearly noticeable tension emanating from the two medical doctors but decided that if it was anything serious, she would find out soon enough.

      Exiting the medical bay she nearly ran into the Pathfinder bodily.

     “I’m sorry,” she muttered, her voice betraying her fatigue.

      A gentle lopsided smile curled Ryder’s mouth.  “That’s okay,” she nodded towards the medical bay, “Everything alright in there?”

      Liara half shrugged, half nodded, “They are just finishing up now.  I’m sure Dr. T’Perro and Lawson will have an actual prognosis soon enough.  Shepard seems stable for now.”

      Ryder’s brow furrowed, “Shepard…”

      “Commander Shepard,” Liara prompted.

      Realization lighted upon the Pathfinder’s features, “The Commander Shepard?!  I heard she was dead and then I heard she was-” She stopped and looked directly at her,  “You’re Doctor Liara T’Soni. I read all your articles when I was working as Alliance security for a Prothean research team.   My father contacted you about the Andromeda Initiative. You said you couldn’t come because of an invasion-” she stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening.  “What happened?”

      Liara sighed, she felt like she hadn’t slept in years.  The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on her. Much to her credit, Ryder seemed to notice.

      “But-  all that stuff can wait.  You look wiped. When was the last time you ate something that wasn’t several centuries old.”

       She couldn’t help a small chuckle, “Several centuries ago.”

       “C’mon,” Ryder jerked her head towards the forward end of the ship, “Food’s this way.”

***

       Ryder had finally called her back after an hour.  She hadn’t seen anyone else leave the ship, except for another Asari who had gone directly over to the Tempest.   But Cora hadn't returned directly to the ship, instead spent her time tidying upper living area of the port’s central hub.

       It’s not something she would readily admit to but Cora was a bit of a neat freak.  Despite how slovenly everyone else on the Tempest seemed to be. She couldn’t stand the fact that nearly every outpost they had established in Heleus looked like stys and the people apparently had the cleaning habits of toddlers.   Her time with the huntresses had been a culture shock of communal living, so she had learned quickly to clean as she went. Life in the commando unit had been strenuous but rewarding, not much room for free time - so the whole process of cleaning had become somewhat meditative - so she didn’t hear the approach of another until they were a few steps in the room.  

       She spun about, ready to charge but caught herself at the last moment, recognizing the attractive but dangerous looking Asari from earlier.

       “You really shouldn’t sneak up on someone like that,” Cora warned.  

       The asari smirked, “I’m sure I can handle myself.”

       Cora eyed her closely.  Her posture, calm exterior and confidence backed up her words. _She’s definitely a former commando._  She forced herself to breathe and relax, mimicking the Asari’s cool demeanor, “Fine.  Then who are you and what are you doing up here?”

       “Who I am, is really none of your business but if you must know my name, it’s Aria.  As for what I’m doing up here, I was clearing my head after being inside someone else’s for the better part of an hour- figured some fresh air would do me good.  I didn’t know that was a crime here… wherever _here_ is.”

        “Kadara, and no, it's not a crime.  In fact, nothing really is a crime here.  Except for not paying protection fees to Sloane Kelly,” Cora replied, folding her arms over her chest.

        She could have sworn she saw Aria’s eyes light up, “Protection fees?”

        “Yeah,” Cora replied, “Kadara is Heleus’ version of Omega.”

        A cheshire smile curled the corners of Aria’s mouth, as she turned on her heel and walked towards the large picture windows, “Omega?  You don’t say.”

        The human commando nodded, “Although, Kelly seems to run a tighter ship, more ruthless.”

        “I doubt that."

        Cora frowned unable to hear what the Asari had said, “What did you say?”

        “Nothing,” Aria replied, “So, if Kadara is like Omega- then can I assume there is a black market for ship parts?”

        Cora joined her at the window, the two women watching as the setting sun painted magnificent colors over the weirdly coral-like cliffs, “Definitely.  I’m sure you can probably find whatever you want at Kadara Port. Of course, I would recommend talking with Vetra, our local white hat smuggler. She’ll set you up.”

        “Let’s hope for her sake that she helps me and doesn’t ‘set me up’."

        "What?" Cora asked taken back by the cold sentiment of the words.

        "Thanks for the information.  Nice chat,” Aria muttered before turning and walking away.

        Her abruptness took Cora by surprise.  Speechless, she turned and watched the woman go, wondering if perhaps that whole conversation hadn’t just been a mistake.

***

        Ryder looked pale.  

        Liara had noticed the color draining from her face as she had filled her in on the two years between the Initiative’s departure and the end of the Reaper invasion.  By the time she had finished recounting the events, she thought the Pathfinder might be ill. An uneasy silence had fallen over them as Ryder seemingly stared at something just beyond her shoulder.

        “Are you alright?” Liara finally ventured.

        “Yeah…it’s just a lot to take in.”  Liara nodded in sympathy. “All synthetic life?”

        “Yes, and it seems also it affected bio-synthetic components such as biotic implants.”

        “But it didn’t touch standard electronics and VI’s?”

        “No.  But it did wipe out the mass effect relays.  Luckily, my father had finally convinced the other matriarchs in the Republics to begin building our own relays before the Crucible fired.   It’s the only way Aria and Miranda managed to get Shepard out of the Sol system and back to the Athena Nebula.”

        “You said the Normandy crashed?...”  

        “Yes, but Shepard had already ordered Joker to head for Asari space.  We were pulled out of FTL in the Orisoni system and landed on one of Egalic’s moons.  There was hardly any damage to the Normandy, so once airborne, Joker was able to discharge the drive core in Egalic’s atmosphere to initiate and FTL jump back to Parnitha.   We dropped out of FTL at Tevura. Tali and I left the ship in a shuttle. The last I saw of the Normandy and her crew, they were headed towards Thessia - or what was left of it,” she trailed off, emotion clouding her voice.

        “I’m sorry,” Ryder said helplessly.

        “It’s okay.  From reports, Thessia fared better in the long run than Earth.  Besides, the asari are always quick to recover. I’m sure our numbers have increased much faster than…” she trailed off seeing Ryder flinch.  “Goddess, I didn't mean-.”

        Ryder shrugged, “No reason to apologize.  It’s a matter of biology. The asari can reproduce at will with whomever.  However: humans, krogan, salarians, quarians,” the Pathfinder sighed at ‘quarians’, “...not so much.”

        Liara frowned, “You keep doing that.”

        The human pathfinder finally focused on her, “Doing what?”

        “Sighing or looking upset everytime you bring up the quarians.  Especially now, after what I’ve told you.”

        “Yeah, well, that’s because the Quarian Ark is missing,” Ryder muttered.

        “ _What?_ ”

        “Yeah, we have our own version of a ‘ _long story_ ’ here in Heleus...”

***


	6. Deja Vu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, my friend.
> 
> Sorry this was so long in coming. Life has an odd way of getting in the way. I hope you are well. Enjoy :)

    She heard an oscillating bleep from somewhere far away as light began to filter through her eyelids. The smell of sterilizing ozone and disinfectant filled her nostrils.  Her tongue felt thick, stuck to the roof of her mouth. She tried to move and instantly regretted it. An anguished groan managed to claw its way out of her lungs which, she noted, burned with every breath.  Every nerve ending in her body was suddenly awake and rioting in searing agony.

    “Shepard,” A voice gently spoke to her,  “Don’t try to move.”

    The words and voice were so incredibly familiar.  She racked her brain trying to make a connection. The beeping sped up as her blood pressure began to spike.  The noise was awful in her ears, the high tone ricocheting around in her skull. She felt a hand on her left arm, steadying it and then pressure against the vein in the crook of her elbow.  A slight pinch and suddenly warmth flooded her body, easing the burning protest of her nervous system. Her muscles relaxed. The feeling of her brain being split open subsiding. She worked her jaw, trying to get her tongue to unstick itself from her palate. She felt the head of the bed she was on begin to rise, moving her to a reclined position.  She willed her eyes to open.

    Everything was blurry.

    She blinked a few times, noticing a silhouette pick something up from a table near nearby and return.

    “Here.  Try some water.”

    She _knew_ that voice.

    “Miranda?” Her own voice sounded like gravel under a boot.

    A soft chuckle, “Who else puts you back together?  Now, c’mon, take a sip.”

    She felt a straw against her lower lip, she caught it and sucked down the water greedily.

    “Whoa, go easy.  You don’t want to throw it back up.  You’re stomach hasn’t had anything in it for… awhile.”

    Shepard forced herself to slow down.  Still, she emptied the glass and finished with a contented breath.

    “Thanks,” she said, her voice back to its normal tenor, “We really gotta stop meeting like this.”   She blinked a few more times, eyes adjusting.

    “Agreed,” Miranda replied with a chuckle, setting aside the glass and picking up a small penlight,  “How are you feeling?”

    Shepard huffed a laugh, “Like the leftovers of a varen pit fight.”

    Miranda smiled, “That’s a fair assessment of how you looked when we found you.”

    “We?”

    “T’Loak and I,” Lawson filled in nonchalantly,  “Look at me.”

    “Aria?”  She repeated looking up into Miranda’s beautiful, warm features.  Remembering, Aria’s very unexpected appearance in her dream. _Was it a dream?_

    “That’s right,” she shined the light into first one eye and then the other, “Follow the light. T’Loak found me at Alliance Command Headquarters in London after the battle for Earth.  Said that she had received a message from the Shadow Broker who wanted her to pick up a package that I had kept from the Collectors a few years before and that it could be found at the pinnacle of the Citadel, or thereabouts.  I have to hand it to Doctor T’Soni, she knows how to deliver very specific cryptic messages.”

    “Yeah she does.  It’s probably why she went into the galactic blackmailing business.  It’s cute how the asari called it ‘information brokeraging’.” Shep replied with a wince as she tried to sit up more.

    “Try and take it easy, yeah?  I opened up your spinal column 12 hours ago.  I don’t want you undoing my handiwork just yet.  But since you’re moving- roll onto your side for me?”

    The commander did as she was told, rolling away from the doctor with a bit of help.  She felt Miranda gently prod at the base of her skull, between her shoulders and towards her lower back, “Any of this hurt?”

   “No, just tender.”

   “Good.  You can roll back.”

    She did, noticing a soft, almost loving look on Miranda’s features before the doctor unexpectedly leaned down and kissed her.  Delicate, gentle, almost chaste... _almost_. When she straightened, Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

   “What was that for?”  

   A smile tugged at the corner of the ex-Cerberus Agent’s mouth.  “I can’t be happy you’re alive? You nearly didn’t make it.”

   “Well, yeah, you can it’s just- wait a minute- ‘ _alive’_?  What happened?  I remember destroying the power coupling to the Crucible...”  Panic suddenly flood her chest, “The Reapers are they-?”

    Miranda laid a hand over hers, “They’re gone, Shepard.  You destroyed them.”

    She let out a breath, relief flooding through her, a small smile creeping on her face.  “Take that you synthetic pieces of … _shit!_ ”  Panic rushed back, “What about EDI?”

    “No synthetics survived.  Hell, _you_ barely survived.”

    “Fuck,” Shepard swore under her breath.

    “Don’t be so hard on yourself.  You saved the Milky Way. I’m sure the galaxy has recovered by now,” Miranda said before seeming to catch herself.

    “By now? What do you mean ‘ _by now_ ’?”  The commander narrowed her eyes.

    Miranda sighed, “Damn it.”

    “I know that ‘damn it’,” Shep muttered, looking closer at her surroundings.  She didn’t notice any Alliance markings or insignia. In fact, she didn’t recognize much of anything except standard medical equipment.  They weren’t on a station but they weren’t in a military vessel. “Miranda- where are we?”

    “Shit,” Miranda cursed again, looking away from Shep for a moment, seemingly to collect her thoughts.  When she finally looked back, she looked drained, “We’re on a planet called Kadara, on a ship called the Tempest.”

    Shepard frowned, “Kadara?  I don’t think I’ve heard of it.  What system?”

    “Govorkam.”

    “Govorkam?! What the hell? I’ve never heard of that system!”

    “Probably because its not in the Milky Way and it wasn’t technically discovered until about three standard years ago.”

    “What the _fuck_ , Miranda?!  Where are we?”

    “The Heleus Cluster in the Andromeda Galaxy.”

    Shepard’s eyes widened, “Andromeda?  How in the-  _where_? Who in the-  _fuck_?”

    “It’s a lot to take in,” Miranda replied quietly, squeezing Shepard’s hand.  She hadn’t meant to drop a bomb on the commander but the woman was astute to say the least, “Doctor T’Soni is the one to ask. She can answer your questions better than I can.”

    “I will try to at least,” Liara spoke, entering the room.  

    Lawson looked over her shoulder and then back at Shepard with a sympathetic smile, “I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit.”

    With that Miranda leaned forward and kissed Shepard’s forehead, soothing her thumb over the furrowed brow before turning to take her leave.  She paused, glancing at Liara on her way out, “Good luck.”

    The door slid shut behind Lawson and they were left alone.  Liara managed to suppress a heavy sigh. While she had practiced in her mind what she would say to Shepard, she still wasn’t ready for the cold blue look pinning her the bulkhead.

   “How-” she started then hesitated, “How are you feeling?”

   “Like I got beaten by a mob of angry Krogan,” Shepard deadpanned. “Start talking T’Soni.”

   “It’s a long story…”

   “I have time."  

   Liara pulled up a chair next to Shepard’s bed,  “Well, what do you want to know first?”

   “First?  First, I would like to know how in the hell we ended up 2.5 million light years away from the Milky Way.  How long has it been? What the fuck happened after the Crucible discharged? What happened to the galaxy?”

   Liara looked into Shep’s eyes.  Torrents of conflicting emotions creating a dark storm in the blue depths.  She had missed those eyes. She had missed the Commander, every day since she had made the mistake of shutting her out on Illium so long ago...

   “A long, long time ago- approximately six hundred and thirty six years to be exact.  In a galaxy far, far away...”

***

   “ _Dr. T’Soni, the transport you were expecting from Sol just arrived,”_ the base’s OPS manager informed over comms.  

   “Thank you, Lieutenant.  Is the medical team standing by?”

   “ _Yes, Doctor.”_

   “Very well.  There is a human aboard by the name of Dr. Miranda Lawson.  Have the medical team differ to her orders,” Liara replied, continuing to upload multiple data packets with EDI’s donated programming from a physical data storage device.  The external drive had been locked away in a basic lead lined container and was not connected to any network or in use at all when the power surge that had knocked out all AI/synthetic life had swept through the relays. The quantum computer aboard the _Thessia Mori_ had not been brought online yet and was completely unoperational, so it too had remained unaffected by the Reaper’s destruction.  However, now, Liara was working feverently to bring QuINN online.

   “ _At your orders, ma’am,”_  The commando replied before keying off the comms.

   Part of Liara wanted nothing more than to go check on Shepard but if she and Shepard were to have a chance, they had to leave the Milky Way.  She just hoped that no one had noticed T’Loak and Lawson when they had retrieved her. So far, her Alliance contacts and the few comms she was able to pick up hadn’t even suggested that anyone even thought she was alive.  They had found Anderson’s body but no sign of Shepard. She prayed they just classified her as ‘killed in action’. But knowing the rumors swirling and the plans hatching from one end of the galaxy to the other, it wouldn’t be long until the Alliance and the other council races sought proof of the Commander’s fate.  Each of the council races seemingly had their own plans surrounding their common savior.

   “ _I’m ready to bring the drive core online whenever you are,”_ Tali interrupted her thoughts.

   “Alright,  I just need a few more minutes to finish calibrating the perimeters.  The upload is almost finished. I just need to initialize the system when it’s complete and we should be able to bring the _Mori_ online.”

   “ _Okay.  Let me know when and I-_ ”

   She didn’t hear the rest.  A muffled and harried voice came through doors of the node.  

   “ _You can’t go in there!”_

   “ _Just try and stop me,”_ Came the distinctly disdainful voice.  

   Liara turned just as the doors opened as Aria T’Loak strolled in, followed by a distraught commando.  The Pirate Queen stopped, looking at the state of the art quantum computer that filled the space around her before her eyes landed squarely on T’Soni.  

   “ _You'_ re the Shadow Broker?!” T’Loak snorted and rolled her eyes, “And yet, somehow, I am not surprised.”

   “I tried to stop her, ma’am,” The young, nervous commando stammered out.

   “It’s alright.  Leave us,” Liara soothed, her eyes never leaving T’Loak.   The commando saluted smartly and scurried out of the room.

   The two asari regarded each other as a stony silence stretched out between them.  Finally, Liara leaned casually against the console she had been working on, “I know you aren’t waiting for payment.  The credits cleared your account before you even picked up Lawson on Earth. So, what exactly do you want?”

   “Want?” Aria echoed,  “Well, I _wanted_ to see what the ‘Shadow Broker’ wanted with Shepard.  Especially given that Shepard is alive...barely. I thought I might have to come in here, kill the infamous broker and then escape with the Commander.  However, I might have to reconsider this plan…”

   “I appreciate it,” Liara deadpanned as Aria looked around.  “Since you aren’t going to kill me and abscond with the Commander, is there anything else you need?”

   “Actually, yes.  I need information,” Aria looked at LIara expectantly but Liara said nothing, simply waiting for her to continue.  “I need information on Omega. I haven’t been able to reach anyone there.”

    Aria’s tone was notably subdued but she couldn’t tell if that was out of concern for the residents of Omega or her own future prospects.  Liara continued to quietly regard her for a moment, carefully weighing her reply. Finally, she said: “No.”

   “What do you mean, ‘no’?” The reply was just as venomous as Liara had expect,  Aria’s biotics flaring for a brief moment.

   Liara straightened up, “I mean, _no_. I don’t have any information on Omega because Omega isn’t there.”

   She tapped few keys on her omni-tool bringing up the last few minutes of feed the station’s cameras had recorded.  Stepping closer to the smuggler, she proffered her arm so that Aria could watch. There was no audio, just video of mundane daily operations activity.  Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, a Reaper appeared on the display screen. The station’s crew seemed to stare blankly for a moment before all silent chaos broke loose.   Liara glanced over at Aria, she knew what happened next, she had watched the vid at least a dozen times. The look on the former Pirate Queen’s face transformed from shock, to disbelief to anger.  She keyed the vid closed when the feed turned to static.

   T’Loak didn’t look at her just turned away, hands finding purchase on a railing that separated the work area from the Quantum hardware.  Tension knotted Aria’s shoulders.

   “Remind me to thank Shepard,” she growled.

   “You already did, in a way.”

   Aria glanced towards her, “How’s that?”

   “Well, if it weren’t for you.  No one would have found her in time.  And, if they had, you saved her from becoming a pawn in a war of attrition between the council races.”

   “What do you mean?”

    “I mean-” Liara stopped, she didn’t want to share too much.  “It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving and I’m taking Shepard away from here.”

    “Where?” she asked.  

    Liara debated, finally she said:  “Andromeda. ”

    Aria barked a laugh, “Oh really? And what’s in Andromeda?”

    A soft chime alerted her that the upload was complete.  Returning to node console, she finished the last few commands, “An interspecies ark project called the Andromeda Initiative.  The former Shadow Broker had originally started the funding for the project when he learned of the Reaper invasion thanks to Saren and Sovereign.”  

 _And Benezia._ She remembered how she found communications between her mother and father.  Aethyta trying to reason with Benezia, nearly conjoleing her to stay away from Saren.  It had been even more shocking to find out that the whole reason Benezia had become involved in the whole fiasco in the first place was because she had been romantically involved with him.  

   She pushed the thought from her mind, “Tali?  You still there?”

 _“Uh!_ ” Tali cleared her throat, “ _Yes! Yes, I’m here. Just doing a final..er, shakedown, of the drive core.”_

   Liara rolled her eyes lightly at Tali’s terrible attempt at covering her eavesdropping, ‘You can bring the core online.”

   “ _Understood.  Bringing the drive core up now,_ ” Tali respond.

    A low whirring noise filled the ship.  Liara could feel the deck plates vibrate under her feet.  As the engine picked up speed, the frequency and pitch became higher until finally the resonance was so high it was no longer audible as  the drive core reached full capacity. She switched the console over from battery power and patched it into the ship’s power supply.

   “When I took over the Shadow Broker’s operations, not only did I find out he had been funding the project but he had also had this ship commissioned so that he could follow the Initiative after they left.   He had been kidnapping quarians on their pilgrimages and enslaving them to build it.”

 _“That bosh’tet!  To think I almost became one of them! If Shepard hadn’t saved me from Fist,_ ” Tali spat out.

   “Needless to say, I continued to fund the Andromeda Initiative quietly.  I freed the quarians who were still working on this ship and moved it here.  The Reapers were never very interested in Teruva. This ship was constructed following the Initiative's plans for the ODSY drive core. There were a few modifications made but the singular most important and amazing part of the ship is this... ”

   Liara keyed in the last command line and lifted her hands from the keyboard.  There was a whir of processors, indicators lit up in the hardware and suddenly on a small pedestal in front of the console a bluish, nebulous looking form appeared.

   “Initializing,” Edi’s voice, which she never thought she would hear again, filled the room.  “Program initialization complete. I am a Quantum Intelligence Nascent Network… or QuINN.”

   Liara smiled, “Hello QuINN.”

   “Hello, Doctor T’Soni.  How may I assist you?”

   “I’ll be damned,” Aria swore to herself.  “Is that-?”

   “A Quantum AI? Yes.”

***


End file.
